Basketball Recap: Soldotna Comes Up Short

Soldotna saw some tournament action on Monday. They fell 40-32 to the University City Centurions. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Stars came into the game with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked second in Alaska, while the Centurions are ranked 412th in California).

When it comes to explaining why Soldotna lost, don't look at Hope Hillyer. Despite the final result, she went 5 for 12 on her way to 11 points in addition to seven boards and four blocks. Hillyer has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last four times she's played. Another player making a difference was Anika Jedlicka, who posted six points.

Stars

Previous 2 Games

12/30/24 @ University City	32-40
12/28/24 vs Paloma Valley	29-42

Even though they lost, Soldotna smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in six consecutive matchups.

Kami Demara continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines for University City, going 6 of 9 on her way to 13 points and five blocks. The team also got some help courtesy of Amara Whitehurst-Quinagon, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 11 boards.

Soldotna's defeat dropped their record down to 4-2. As for University City, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season.

Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Soldotna will face off against Kodiak at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. As for University City, they will challenge Hoover at 6:30 p.m. on January 8th.